Proverbs 101- An Overview

Beginning this Saturday we will begin a study of the book of Proverbs. This post is preparatory. It will give you a sense of where we are headed with our study.

Solomon is the writer of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Proverbs is the book on wisdom; Ecclesiastes is the book on folly; Song of Solomon is the book on love. Solomon is an authority on all 3 subjects.

A proverb is a truth couched in a form that is easy to remember, a philosophy based on experience, and a rule for conduct.

Proverbs bear no unscientific statement or inaccurate observation. The Proverbs are on a high moral plane. The Proverbs do not contradict one another, while man’s proverbs are often in opposition to each other.  An example would be: “Look before you leap” and “He who hesitates is lost.”

The book of Proverbs is not a hodgepodge of unrelated statements, nor is it a discourse of cabbages and kings (Ecclesiastes 12:9). The book tells a story. It is a picture of a young man starting out in life. His first lesson is given in 1:7. Two schools bid for him and both send their literature. One is the school of Wisdom, the other is the school for fools. Wisdom is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). In chapter 8, the young man goes to the academy of Wisdom where he is taught in proverbs. From chapters 10 through 24, the young man is in the classroom of
Wisdom.

The literary form of these proverbs is mostly in the form of couplets. The two clauses of the couplet are generally related to each other by what has been termed parallelism. There are three kinds of parallelism have been pointed out:

1. Synonymous Parallelism. Here the second clause restates what is given in the first clause. Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and stripes for the back of fools. (Proverbs 19:29)

2. Antithetic (Contrast) Parallelism. Here a truth is stated in the first clause and made stronger in the second clause by contrast with an opposite truth. The light of the righteous rejoiceth, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. (Proverbs 13:9)

3. Synthetic Parallelism. The second clause develops the thought of the first. The fear of a king is like the roaring of a lion; whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. (Proverbs 20:2)

In chapters 1-9, wisdom and folly are contrasted. Chapters 10-24 were written and put in order by Solomon. Hezekiah is the one who ordered Chapters 25-29.

The Bible is about Jesus. If you can’t find Jesus, you probably are not interpreting the passage or book correctly. There are five connections between Proverbs and Jesus.

1. The earthly ministry of Jesus.  During his earthly ministry Jesus revealed that he was a man of wisdom.  In other words, Jesus lived out and fulfilled the book of Proverbs.  He was the wise man par excellence.

2. Jesus is the embodiment and personification of wisdom as the second person of the Trinity

3. The book of Proverbs sets before its reader a choice between two different paths: the path of wisdom and the path of folly. A similar choice arises as a consequence of the gospel. In the New Testament context, the choice is between the wisdom of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and the folly offered by the world (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

4. The fourth connection between Jesus and the book of Proverbs is that the risen Jesus provides wisdom to his people. For example, during his earthly ministry Jesus promised his disciples that he would give them wisdom after his resurrection, "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict," (Luke 21:15).

5. There is a practical benefit to recognizing that Proverbs speaks of Jesus.  Once we recognize that Jesus is the wise man of Proverbs we find a deeper impetus for embracing the life of wisdom outlined in Proverbs.

For we know that when we live wisely according to Proverbs, we are in fact living like Christ.

Written on the Heart

To which does the Bible point?

You might be old enough to remember when every Vacation Bible School recited Psalm 119:11 in every opening assembly. It says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” That verse was used to try to get kids interested in memorizing Scripture.

Memorizing Scripture is a good thing, but that verse is not about Scripture memorization. It is about having God’s word in our hearts. The Psalmist was anticipating a time when the word of God was to be written in our hearts as prophesied in Jeremiah 31. It is a precursor to the New Covenant that God would establish with those who would receive Christ as their savior. It is about a time when God’s people would have a new attitude about their relationship with Him; an attitude of the heart.

Except at the “Lord’s Supper” or “Communion,” it is rare for a preacher to even mention the New Covenant, let alone expound on what it is and what it means. Most certainly don’t emphasize it. Yet it is the very cornerstone of who we are as Christians. Jesus proclaimed His blood to be the New Covenant. Paul preached its importance. The book of Hebrews spends FIVE CHAPTERS developing its concept. (Does God spend five chapters on something that we should take or leave as we see fit?)

The old covenant that God had established with His people required obedience to the Old Testament Mosaic law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the law required that people perform rituals and sacrifices. The prophet Jeremiah predicted that there would be a time when God would make a New Covenant with His people.

"'The day will come,' says the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. . . . But THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT I WILL MAKE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL ON THAT DAY,' SAYS THE LORD. 'I WILL PUT MY LAW IN THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. I will be their God, and they will be my people'" (Jeremiah 31:31, 33).

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"

Now that we are under the New Covenant, we are not under the penalty of the law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9-11), we can now share in the INHERITANCE OF CHRIST and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God.

Hebrews 9:15 declares, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them FREE FROM THE SINS COMMITTED UNDER THE FIRST COVENANT.”

To Chant or Not to Chant? That is the question.

There is a lot of ignorance among Christians about music. Fine music that praises God  takes many forms. One of those forms is the Gregorian Chant.

The Gregorian Chant is not a chant in the sense of rhythmically repeating spoken words, such as one might hear from certain pagan rituals or from certain ethnic groups.

Gregorian chants are made of music that has form, substance and melody. To think that they do not have melodies or rhythmic patterns is just musical ignorance.

Here are a couple of Gregorian Chants you might (or might not) enjoy:






Here's the thing. There are all kinds of valid praise and worship music. There is valid contemporary praise and worship music. There is valid traditional praise and worship music. There is valid Southern Gospel praise and worship music. There is valid country praise and worship music. There is valid choral praise and worship music, valid Native American praise and worship music, valid Eastern praise and worship music, valid African praise and worship music, valid reggae praise and worship music and valid praise and worship music of kinds I can't even think of.

When someone claims that contemporary music is somehow more valid in today's Christian society than Southern Gospel or hymns or praise choruses he is speaking out of ignorance.

The use of music is a two way street. Because one song is loud and accented on the 2nd and 4th beats and the other is softer and accented on the 1st and 3rd beats has nothing to do with its relevance, value or valid use in worship. Various styles of music a valid and meaningful.

What that really matters in Christian music is whether the music is faithful to right doctrine, whether the words chosen fit the music setting and whether the combination of music, beat, melody and tempo are pleasant to someone's ears.

God can be worshiped and praised in many different ways.

FACTS ABOUT AUTO AIR-CONDITIONING THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW.

The Goldberg Brothers---The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner.

Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just to dazzle your friends..

The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Maxwell, invented and developed the first automobile air-conditioner..

On July 17, 1946, the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees.

The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four  gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.

Henry was curious and invited them into his office.

They refused and instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car.

They persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately.

The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent.

The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having a label, 'The Goldberg Air-Conditioner' on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed.

Now old man Ford was more than just a little anti-Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the Goldberg's name on two million Fords.

They haggled back and forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first names would be shown.

And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show --
Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max  -- on the controls.

I can hear your groans from here.

-SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Your Great Name-Natalie Grant

John Chapter 21

Many scholars believe John added this “chapter” some time after the events of chapter 20.

There are 3 incidents recorded in this chapter: 1) the fishing experience on the lake (showing us that Jesus is to be the Lord of our wills); 2) the breakfast on the sea shore (showing us that Jesus is Lord of our hearts); and 3) the announcement of the death of Simon Peter and call him to service (showing us that He must be Lord of our minds).

Verses 1-3 – This is sort of the convention of the problem children: Simon Peter (impulsive and impetuous); Thomas (the skeptic, who had a question mark for a brain); Nathaniel (“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth); the sons of Zebedee (James and John) and two other disciples (maybe they represent you and me).

Peter, perhaps in an attempt to soothe his nerves, announces, “I’m going fishing.” It’s what he knew how to do. Remember, Jesus had said He would make him a fisher of men. The others volunteer to go with him. Although they were expert fishermen, they caught nothing.

Verses 4-14 – The disciples did not recognize Jesus standing on the shore. (Why not? Maybe He was too far away to be recognized.) Jesus is Lord of our wills — directs our service (v. 6)

As they came in, Jesus asked, “Catch anything?” They answered, “Nope.” Jesus said, “Cast your net on the other side of the boat and you will find some.”

So, here’s this guy on the shore, telling the expert fishermen, now that they are in shallower water, to fish on the other side of the boat. That must have gone over well. But they did it.

When they did, they could hardly haul the net, there were so many fish! When you follow Jesus and allow Him to direct you, you can expect results!

Then John recognizes Jesus…whether by sight or by the miraculous experience, and shouts, “It is the Lord!”  And they fellowship together around a campfire…sharing their hearts. What stories there must have been around that campfire!

Jesus is Lord of our hearts — motive for service (vv.15-17)

We hear a lot about the words for “love” in the Greek. But there are some other important words used in this passage as well, as knowing them helps us understand the meaning better. Here are some words it will be helpful for you to know:

agapao – the highest, Godly love
phileo – strong “brotherly” affection
(arnion) – Feed; provide infant nourishment
(bosco)  –  Feed; disciple or shepherd
(poimaino) – Feed; provide adult nourishment

Verses 15-17 Jesus asked Peter differently three times whether he loved Him. It went like this: 

Jesus: "Do you agapao me?"  Peter:"You know I phileo you."  Jesus: "Feed my little lambs" (Gk: arnion -  that is: newborn Christians).

Jesus: "Do you agapao me?"  Peter: "You know I phileo you."  Jesus: "Feed  my sheep" (Gk: bosco - that is: growing Christians).

Jesus: "Do you phileo me?  Peter: "You know I phileo you."  Jesus: "Feed my sheep" (Gk: poimaino - that is: mature Christians).

Verse 19 – Jesus tells Peter that there will come a time when he (Peter) will follow in Christ’s footsteps in death, and then exhorts him to follow Him.

Verses 20-23 – Peter asks about John, whose special bond with Jesus Peter did not miss. Jesus tells him not to worry about others’ relationship to Him, but his own. Then He repeats, “Follow me.” Jesus is Lord of our minds — lack of knowledge no excuse from service (v. 22).  To be a follower requires 100% commitment.

Verses 24-25 John identifies himself, and tells us there were many other things Jesus did.

THE IMAGE

Genesis 1:26-27 -  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.

What does "in our image" mean? What does "in his own image, in the image of God he created him" mean? What is the image of God.

Does this passage mean that God looks like us? Does He have hands and feet and a head and a nose? Does God walk like we walk and is He shaped like us?

Scripture passages don't exist in a vacuum. The Bible is intricately connected with itself. Sin started in a garden and the completion of its payment was accomplished in a garden. Jesus started His earthly life wrapped in linen. He ended it wrapped in linen. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were bound and thrown into a furnace four times hotter than normal. But it was not as hot as Hell. The fourth man who joined them in the furnace was Jesus, who saved them from the fire. Later He saved all of us who trust Him from the even hotter fire of Hell.

Consider the word "image." It is found in many places in Scripture.

In the Old Testament, sometimes it refers to anything set up, a pillar or an idol. It can mean grief. It can mean a form or likeness like a carved piece of word, or an character impressed in a stone or on parchment. It can also mean something movable.Or it can mean a reflection.

In the New Testament, "image" is used to mean a likeness. We find it used in Matthew, Mark and Luke in reference to Caesar. In Romans 8, we begin seeing it used t reference Jesus, Him being the Son of God after whom we are imaged. In 1 Corinthians He is thee image and glory of God. In 2 Corinthians He is called the image of God, as He is in Colossians, Hebrews and the Revelation.

Jesus said (as recorded in John 14) “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."

Being made in the image of God means that we have been created with the ability to reflect Christ, that is: to be like Him.

That is accomplished when we place our trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary and in His resurrection.

Live as one made in the image of God through Christ, our Lord.

A Rose by Any Other Name

Suppose I were to say to you, “I am a Lincoln Continental?” Would you think it so? Just because I choose to call myself a Lincoln Continental must you consider me one?

“Look,” I say, “I know I have two legs instead of four wheels. I know I have arms instead of a steering wheel. I also know I have a heart instead of an engine. But that does not matter. I want to call myself a Lincoln Continental and since this is a free country, I can do so.”

Would you consider me to be a Lincoln Continental? Why not? Am I not correct that this is a free country and I can call myself anything I want to?

The issue is not whether I CAN call myself a Lincoln Continental; it is a matter of proper and effective communication.

If I choose to depart from the collective understanding of the meaning of “Lincoln Continental” and decide to refer to myself as one, that breaks down the communication between me and others. The others either have to consider me to be crazy or eccentric or they have to go along with my delusion and change the meaning of the words, “Lincoln Continental.”

As a society, we have done that with such things as marriage, sexual relations, parenthood and many other formerly understood terms.

If I call myself a Christian, can I ascribe to “Christian” any meaning I choose? Can I use the term in any undefined way I want to?

A Christian is not a person who is not a Jew, not a Muslim, not a Buddhist, not a Hindi, not a pantheist and not an atheist, therefore the only thing left for to be is a Christian. A Christian is not a person who associates himself with a certain group. The word, “Christian,” has a specific meaning, and ascribing to it any other meaning leaves a great gap in our communication with each other.

A Christian is a person who has acknowledged sin in his life, realized that sin is an affront to the sovereign, holy God, has repented of that sin and has turned to Christ in faith, trusting in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary. That’s the definition of a Christian espoused by the Bible.

A Christian is a follower of Christ. “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew term, “Messiah.” Jesus is the Christ; therefore, Jesus is the Messiah. His birth, life, death and resurrection were all predicted in the Old Testament and He fulfills every one of the prophecies perfectly.

Many call themselves Christians when they are not. Many cannot really define the word. They just think Christians are fairly nice people (sometimes) who subscribe to a religious dogma. If a person calls himself a Christian, society usually considers him someone who is narrow minded and more than a bit of a misfit. They would be only partially right.

Jesus said that the “road to eternal life” is “straight and narrow” and very few people are on it. “Straight and narrow” is not a description of a behavior, it is His recognition that not many people will actually repent and follow Him.

A Christian is someone who does. No one else is a Christian…no matter how sweet they smell.

SIX ESSENTIALS FOR GOOD PREACHING/TEACHING

There are six essentials to the proper expositions of God’s Word.

1. We must have cross-centered instincts. Everything we preach or teach must have as its goals the revelation of the cross and its significance to our being. We must preach Christ crucified, resurrected and nothing else. All other messages are vain philosophies. We must set about demonstrating the eternal sacrifice endured for us because of God’s love for us.

2. The Scripture must saturate us. It is not enough to know a plethora of verses that support our cause or our Theo-philosophy.  We must bathe every verse on which we preach with John 3:16 and with the knowledge that the Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

3. We must be overwhelmed by the need to preach the gospel to everyone who will listen. That means we must preach and teach the urgency for missions and preach that urgency fervently.

4. We must steep ourselves in the kind of prayer that is effective and passionate for God’s plan, not our own. We must understand that prayer is not there to get God to do things our way, but to find out what God is doing and to get on board with Him.

5. We must preach and teach with a heavenly-minded attitude. We must avoid getting caught up in church politics, “Christian Behaviorism” and other irrelevant issues and must bring ourselves to the heart-felt attitudes Jesus preached in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 and 6.

6. We must preach the oneness of God in Trinitarianism. We must understand that we will never understand the Trinity, nor are we expected to, but we must preach it none-the-less, because it is clearly espoused in Scripture.

When we learn to incorporate these six principles in our preaching and teaching, we will avoid the heresies that so easily beset us.We will not have the time or the inclination to preach anything else.

When we learn to preach with these six principles in mind, we will not have time for peripheral theosophies, but will see the Jesus of the Scripture lifted up, drawing all men unto Him.

The gospel is as old and as contemporary as any message ever thought of. It is our only message.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Lord, I Believe in You-Crystal Lewis

A Study in John 20 - Continued

Between the crucifixion and the resurrection

The Jews never refused to bury any executed criminal, but instead of allowing the bodies of such sinners to be placed in family tombs, where they might desecrate those already buried, they provided a burial site for criminals just outside the city

Most of the disciples were keeping their distance from Jesus at this point in time.  It does not even appear to be possible for any of Jesus’ disciples or family to secure His body and give it a proper burial. And to make the situation even more difficult, time to give Jesus a proper burial had virtually run out.

After His death He was given a rich man’s burial. We might even say that Jesus was given a burial “fit for a king.”

Even though the disciples had forgotten our Lord’s words about His resurrection, the Jewish religious leaders had not: they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Once the stone was “sealed,” no one would dare to try to steal the body of Jesus, to make it look as if He had been raised from the dead in fulfillment of His own prophecies. And to be doubly sure, guards were posted at the tomb so that no one could gain access to the body of Jesus.

John Chapter 20

Verse 1-9 – It was on Sunday, early in the morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. Joseph and Nicodemus had prepared the body for burial (John 19:40). They sealed in the body with 100 pounds of ointment, wrapped it with strips of linen cloth, and prepared it like a mummy. Each finger was wrapped separately, then the hand, then the arms were strapped to the body and the body was wound.

Jesus began His earthly life wrapped in swaddling clothes. He ended it wrapped in linen.

John and Peter knew that He could not have gotten out of that encasement. It would have been physically impossible to get that body out of grave clothes without unwinding them. John got to the tomb first, but would not go in. Peter (the impetuous one) had no trouble and went right in.

Verses 10-18 – Everybody but Mary Magdalene went home, presumably to mourn.

Jesus appeared to Mary, but would not allow her to touch Him.  He told her to go tell the others, which she did.

Verses 19-23 – Jesus appeared to the disciples, who were overcome with elation. “…He breathed on them them…” is a reference to the other Scriptures that speak of the Holy Spirit being invisible like the air, but powerful like the wind. They were not yet inhabited by the Holy Spirit, that would come in Acts. But they were given the Holy Spirit's presence and leadership.

Verses 24-31 – Thomas, being a “realist,” did not believe the disciples’ report.  A week later Jesus appeared to the disciples and offered physical proof of His resurrection.

John wrote this gospel so that we might be saved. Everything you need to know to be saved is in this book. In fact, the pivotal verse in all of Scripture, Old Testament and New,  is in this book: John 3:16.

CAN THE BIBLE BE FIGURED OUT? How is it that so many people disagree about what Scripture says?

Scripture must be used the way Christ used Scripture. We have to use it the way John the Baptist used it. We have to use it the way Paul and Peter used it – and Stephen, and James, and John and Matthew and Mark and Luke.

You know, the hermeneutic of the men who delivered the word of God to people as prophets and apostles is not actually a very complicated hermeneutic. The position these men all put Scripture in was one that is above human reasoning in such a way as to overcome human reasoning.

Christians today prefer a more complicated hermeneutic. They have things they like just the way they are, and sometimes want to find a way to justify that. They do extraordinary linguistic studies to find out whether God saved anyone eternally in the Old Testament in order to justify truncating the New Testament expression of salvation. They do the same thing to make a sin out of wine drinking, and out of married love, and to tone down the problem of excessive riches because we live in an excessively rich society. They use Scripture to buttress their beliefs in the church to make it more than it ought to be, and often less than it ought to be.

What we ought to do with Scripture is come to it in complete poverty and desperation, knowing that it is the wisdom of God that makes the wisdom of men nothing more than foolishness. Our hermeneutic ought to be one in which we frame ourselves not as peers to the writer but as abject beggars before the writer. Our hermeneutic ought to be the sinner who will die without God’s intervention.

The word God has commanded is there for us to remember who God is when we think we have enough that we can live without Him. The word of God ought to be taking us down a notch from satisfied to grateful, from safe to seeking refuge, from comfortable to poor in spirit. You can know your conclusion about the word of God is sound when what you have brought out of the text something you could have never put in there. When you realize the text is there to reveal God to you, to show you His love for His creation and to announce His plan for its redemption. It is drawn there by God’s wisdom in the face of your own foolishness. That’s how you get it right.

The preceding was adapted from an article by Frank Turk.

Bible Believing Conservative or Legalist?

Many Christians say they believe the WHOLE Bible. They profess that they believe in the plenary inspiration of Scripture and that it is God’s word. Well I believe that, too. Too often, though, their actions and their theosophies do not parallel their profession. Their behavior and attitude toward the Bible seem to be rooted in a kind of “denied legalism,” that is, they SAY they are not legalists, but they treat Bible passages as though they are legalistic. They are inconsistent in their application.

Believing the WHOLE Bible does not mean to select a passage here or a passage there and use it to prove some theological thought or philosophy just because all of the Bible is true. When you read a book, you do not start in the middle and read a little, go to the beginning and read a little and then read something toward the end and claim to have read and understood the book. You probably missed a great deal of the story and did not get the enjoyment you would have gotten if you had read the entire book, front to back.

Granted, there are certain principles that Scripture lays down that can be seen in virtually every passage, but to pull those out and to separate them from the rest of Scripture to make a point not related to the actual text is a great mistake and usually leads to heresy. “One interpretation; many applications” is a lie conceived in the depth of Satan’s heart.

For example, many have quoted Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” They then use the verse to admonish parents to properly discipline their children. Or they use it to encourage parents to be patient; that if they have taught their children well, sooner or later they will go “straight.” Those are misapplications of the verse.

“The way he should go…” Under the Old Covenant, that may have had a disciplinary meaning, but under the New Covenant that same verse can ONLY mean to introduce the child to Christ. That IS the way he should go. There is no other way.

Cults, as well as denominations out on the “edge” use Scripture as having many applications all the time to prove that theirs is the only way to properly do what God wants done. How unfortunate it is that we “main streamers” often use the same methods. We might have drawn a good conclusion (or not), but we have not done so Biblically.

So, does that mean that we must read the whole Bible or book of the Bible to correctly understand a given passage? Actually, it means that we must HAVE read the entire Bible and must understand what it is really teaching. Then we must put any portion of Scripture in the context of the whole.

For example, the Bible has a lot to say about the value of individual life but it is not an anti-abortion book and it is not intended to be read as one. It has a lot to say about living the Christian life, but it is not a “guidebook for living.” The Bible tells a lot about the history of Israel, past, present and future, but it is not a history book and is not intended to be read as one.

From Genesis 1:1 to the last word of the Revelation, the Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love of His creation and His plan for its redemption. If that is not the ultimate point of any exposition of a passage, the meaning of the passage has been missed.

Whether you read from Exodus, Daniel, Jeremiah, Mica, the gospels, the epistles or any other part of the Bible, the message is the same. In the Old Testament it is about the coming Messiah. In the New Testament it is about the Messiah having come and His eminent return. The Old Testament is a record of the Covenant(s) God made with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. The New Testament is a record of the NEW Covenant made with those who accept Christ as their savior. The two absolutely CANNOT be mixed.

The New Covenant is very special. Unlike the Old Covenant, which required a set of rules to follow in order to please God, the New Covenant proclaims that His law is fulfilled in Christ and is written on our hearts. Far from being a set of rules to follow, the New Testament proclaims the birth, life, death, resurrection and soon return of Jesus, Christ (Messiah) for the remission of sins. It reveals God’s plan of salvation for all who will believe.

Under the New Covenant, we are made children of God through the shed blood of Christ at the cross of Calvary. He, Himself, proclaimed His blood to be the New Covenant.

You have no doubt heard pastors say things like, “They’re called the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.” That sounds really slick and pious, but it has no relevance to those under the New Covenant. That doesn’t mean the commandments are wrong. In Romans, Paul makes it very clear that the Commandments are perfect. But he also tells us that we are incapable of keeping their requirements.

However, the good news is that Christ has fulfilled the Ten Commandments. We don’t have to. Does that mean we can violate them? Absolutely not! It means that if we truly have come into a relationship with God through Christ it would not occur to us to want to violate them.

It is impossible for one to be focused on Christ and to want to deliberately commit sin at the same time. That is because under the New Covenant, one’s heart is changed. It is now oriented toward Christ and His saving grace. (If one’s heart has NOT been changed, one is NOT a Christian and needs to come to Christ for salvation).

There are a lot of church goers, both laymen, leaders and pastors, who call themselves Christians who still cling to the rules and regulations of the Old Covenant. Some denominations pride themselves on following the letter of the Law. The Amish and the Seventh Day Adventists are two “mainstream” denominations that do so. To a somewhat lesser extent, denominations like Baptists and The Assemblies of God do, too.

I say it is time for the church to accept the blood of Christ as ALL sufficient, not just for salvation (although that is certainly the most important place to begin), but for living our Christian lives in the freedom exposited in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, Galatians and all the of rest of the New Testament as it reveals to us the completion of the Old Covenant and the inception of the New Covenant. The New Covenant gives us freedom to follow what Christ has burned into our hearts in living, loving, giving, doing and going.

Is It All about Him?

You’ve probably hear a pastor or two say it: “It’s not about you; it’s not about me; it’s all about Him.”

The question is, though, is it really all about Him?

How much of worship is really all about Him?

How much of “Bible Study” is really all about Him?

How much music is really all about Him?

How much is the church really all about Him?

How much of our decision making is really all about Him?

How much of our giving is really all about Him?

How many of our rules and regulations are really all about Him?

How much of our preaching is really all about Him?

How much of our doctrine is really all about Him?

How much of our visitation is really all about Him?

How much of our spending is really all about Him?

How much of our leading is really all about Him?

If it is not ALL about Him, who is it about?

If it is not ALL about Him, then why are we bothering with it?

If it is not ALL about Him, what’s the point?

Revelation 2:4 "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love."

What’s the Difference?

Some churches like to make certain you know they are New Testament churches. That designation could lead to the idea that the church does not believe in or preach from the Old Testament. That would be a mistake.

Other churches make a broader claim. They claim to be “Bible” churches. The implication is that they are better than those just plain “New Testament” churches. They believe the WHOLE Bible.

The fact is, the WHOLE Bible is true and we should study and preach it all. However, that does not mitigate the danger of quoting random verses out of their total context to prove some theological or philosophical point. That is a total misunderstanding of what the Bible is for and a total misuse of Scripture.

Every verse belongs to a chapter, every chapter to a book, every book to a Testament and every Testament to the Bible. All of it relates to all of the rest of it and a clear understanding of what the Bible is about is paramount to using it correctly.

The Old Testament is just as much a part of the Word of God as the New Testament is. Neither is complete without the other. The Old Testament reveals the character of God, His love of His creation and His plan for its redemption. The New Testament continues to reveal God’s character, His love for his redemption and then puts into action His plan for its redemption.

The Old Testament shows us covenant(s) God made with mankind. The New Testament shows us the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and ushers in the New Covenant, which is not a “what” but a “who,” and His name is Jesus. He is the Christ. “Christ” is the New Testament Greek word for Messiah, the long awaited one looked forward to by the Jews.

The big question is not which testament a church preaches. The big question is to which covenant the church belongs.

 Jews still see themselves as principals of the Old Covenant. They adhere to the Old Covenant laws, ceremonies and practices.

Christians are members of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Christ and the New Covenant has been established in Him and written on our hearts, just as Jeremiah prophesied.

Many preachers and Christian leaders attempt to function with “one foot in the New Covenant and the other foot in the Old Covenant.” That just cannot work, period.

Well, what about when Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commands? What are His commands? When asked, He said, in effect, there are two: Love God with all of your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself. He said that those two commands completed ALL of the laws of the prophets. He probably knew what He was talking about, don’t you think?

There is a difference between the Old Testament and the Old Covenant. One is a revelation of the other. Similarly, there is a difference between the New Testament and the New Covenant. The New Testament reveals the New Covenant in Christ. He proclaimed the wine in the cup to be His blood of the New Covenant. Hebrews spends six chapters magnifying Him as the New Covenant.

Try not to get the covenants and testaments confused.

SUNDAY SOUND OF PRAISE-Say the Name-Margaret Becker

A Study in John - Chapter 20

John the Latter Part of Chapter 19 Reviewed

In chapter 19,verses 17- 27 – The Soldiers made Jesus carry His own cross to the place of the Skull, called Golgotha in Aramaic. The sign they placed over Jesus’ head on the cross was in three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. When Pilate was challenged by the priest to change it from “The King of the Jews” to “He Claimed to Be King of the Jews,” Pilate insulted the priests once more, in effect saying, “You made your bed, you lie in it.” (That’s a paraphrase).

The soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes, but His undergarment was seamless. The soldiers decided to cast lots to see who got it. This fulfilled the prophesy found in Psalm 22:18.

Jesus saw to it that His mother was taken care of. He appointed John to take her in.

Verses 28-37 – Jesus thirsted so that we would never have to thirst again. When He said, “It is finished,” everything He had come to do had been done for all eternity. The perfect Lamb had been a perfect sacrifice and our sin was perfectly atoned for.

The soldiers were accustomed to breaking the legs of those crucified in order to hasten their deaths. When they got to Jesus, He was already dead, so they stabbed Him with a sword to make sure he was dead and took Him down. This fulfilled Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12 and Psalm 34:20 as well as Zechariah 12:10.

Jesus started His life wrapped in swaddling clothes. He ended it wrapped in linen. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. After all, He was only going to need it for three days.

Chapter 20

Verses 1-10 – Upon hearing Mary Magdalene proclamation that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, Peter and John rushed to the tomb. John looked in, but Peter pushed past him and went in. There he saw the strips of linen in which Jesus had been buried.

Verses 11-18 – Mary stayed at the tomb. The two angels asked her why she was crying and she said “they” (probably referring to Roman guards) had taken away the body. She did not realize Jesus was resurrected.

Mary was to be the first human witness to the resurrected Christ. Another voice asked the same question. She did not recognize the voice. When she turned and saw Jesus she was overcome with joy.

Jesus admonished her not to touch Him. The reason he gave was that He had not yet ascended. Later, disciples would actually see Him ascend.

Mary witnessed all of this to the other disciples.

Verses 19-23 – Jesus stood among the disciples and proved who He was. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The word used for breathed on (emphysao) is the same word used in the Greek Old Testament to describe God's action when he formed the man from the dust of the ground and "breathed into his face the breath of life" and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7).

Two different events about the Holy Spirit are mentioned, one here and the other in Acts 2. The breathing of the Spirit by Jesus is certainly climactic, but the results do not fulfill the promises he made earlier in this Gospel. A week later they are not bearing witness but are back in the room with locked doors (v. 26). In the next chapter they are back fishing for fish, not for disciples.

The phrase “Receive the Holy Spirit” might well be understood as a command, not a current event. In other words, Jesus is telling the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, they are to receive Him.

In John 20:23 we have a difficult statement that has been controversial for hundreds of years. It is certain God alone can forgive sins; and it would not only be blasphemous, but grossly absurd, to say that any creature could remit the guilt of a transgression which had been committed against the Creator. The apostles received from the Lord the doctrine of reconciliation, and the doctrine of condemnation. They who believed on the Son of God, in consequence of their preaching, had their sins remitted; and they who would not believe were declared to lie under condemnation. (See Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible).

Verses 24-29 – Jesus gives physical evidence of His resurrection to Thomas. So many have declared, “If God would just give me some sign, some wonder, some physical manifestation of His reality I would believe.” No, you wouldn’t. Actually, He has given many physical evidences of His reality. Every miracle He ever performed was such. Still, most of those who saw the miracles did not believe in Him. Jesus concludes with “…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Verses 30-31 – John explains his reason for writing this book about the Good News of Jesus. It is so we will believe, not just that Jesus existed, but that He is Messiah, God. It is our faith in Him (not our faith in faith or our faith in a generic god or anything else) that we are saved.

Message from God’s Word or a Philosophy Lesson?

Far too many preachers stand before their congregation and deliver a philosophy lesson and then try to prove their philosophy with a few Scripture verses. They actually think when doing so that they are “teaching a Bible lesson.” They are not. In fact, they are violating the principles laid out in God’s word about the use of Scripture.

No matter where you are in Scripture, the message is about, and only about, Jesus. From Genesis to the Revelation, the topic is Jesus. For some that is boring. That’s very sad.

If preachers preached Jesus, His life, death, burial resurrection and soon return as revealed in God’s word, a lot of the so-called problems in the church would self-dissolve. That’s because, first of all, Jesus is the in-all, of-all, by-all and through-all of everything we are, think and do. Secondly, when we are focused on Jesus, it is impossible to be worried about things physical, emotional or spiritual.

With that in mind, wouldn’t it be better for preachers to preach Jesus, and nothing else? Wouldn’t it be better to save everything else for a discipleship class? Wouldn’t more people come to know Christ with gospel preaching instead of philosophy?

After his experience with philosophy in Athens, and in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote: "...I am resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 

Isn’t that why we preach and teach to begin with?

If not, why not?

Worship and Praise in a New Covenant Church

Let’s define some terms. What is worship? Is it the same thing as praise? When we say “praise and worship” are we repeating ourselves or are we referencing two different things?

John Piper: Worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence-the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of His glory. And He created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving it-with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. The church needs to build a common vision of what worship is and what she is gathering to do on Sunday morning and scattering to do on Monday morning.

That’s nice, but it really does not address what worship is. What is it made of? How is it expressed?

William Barclay: True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible.

That fits one definition I heard years ago, something like: Worship is a personal encounter with God. Still, it leaves something to be desired.

William Temple: Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose…

Well, let me amalgamate some principles laid down from both the Old Testament and the New Testament and see if I can get the idea across.

In worship we come before God, understanding who He is, cognizant and fearful of His immense power and submitted to His will. We come recognizing that Christ has paid for the sin that previously separated us from God and filled with gratitude that His grace has permitted us to stand with confidence before Him.

Worship should be an awesome, humbling experience that leads to a permanent change in our attitudes, our response to the Holy Spirit and our very lives.

When we have engaged in real worship, our response will be one of relief, of being encouraged and of celebrating the goodness of God through Christ. That is what we call “praise.”

Praise will manifest itself in joyousness, excitement and energy, all directed toward Christ in response to His saving grace.

Pure worship will be more subdued while praise will be exultation. Worship will be reverent and thoughtful, while praise will exude a spirit of gratitude and enthusiasm.

Both worship and praise should be exhibited when we come together before God on Sundays (or whatever day we choose to do so).

A worship and praise service might look something like this:

1.     Pre-Service Music that attracts people to and serves as an introduction to what is to come.

2.     Perhaps a Call to Celebration would follow by either the congregation or a choir.

3.     Prayer is an important part of a service and next would be a good place for an invocation.

4.     Something often left out of our services is a time for personal worship, which might be more contemplative in nature. This would be a quieter part of the service.

5.     After that there should be a crescendo of music with Scripture related songs, hymns and spiritual songs and choruses. They could be in any order, but a transition from slow to fast or quiet to loud would be appropriate.

6.     Maybe this would be a good time to share with people what the church has planned for the next several weeks. (This might alternatively come at the beginning or the end of the service.)

7.     Next there might be a special selection of music by a choir, praise team, small group or soloist.

8.     Corporate Prayer is important, and might be done by the pastor or some other leader just before the message

9.     Message and Invitation to Christ

10.  Song of Invitation

11.  Before leaving there should be time spent thanking God for His presence and His grace

12.  Closing Song of Praise

Of course this is all a suggestion, but it incorporates the elements that are a part of both worship and praise. This could all be done in many different orders.

The important thing is that we all come together in both corporate worship and praise as the Body of Christ.

Song of Songs (Song of Solomon)

The Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption. Many people are quick to proclaim the Bible as God’s word, and it is. Some will tell you it’s about Jesus. But when it comes to the Song of Songs (also called the Song of Solomon), they fall all apart, not knowing how to deal with it.

The Song of Songs (SOS) is very intense, and seems at least a bit racy, if not almost pornographic in some ways. But that’s only if you do not look beneath the surface.

I have read many commentaries about SOS that treat it like a treatise on love and marriage here on earth. I’ll tell you this, if you need such a treatise, there is none better.

When I was a young man, my cousin and I used to work those 1,000 piece puzzles. We had a self-imposed rule that if you touched a piece of the puzzle without knowing where it fit, you were charged one point. When the puzzle was finished, the one with the most points lost. We both learned to solve puzzles.

If I were to present you with a math problem like this: 3 + __ = 7; __ + 2 = __; and the total of both equals 14, would you be able to fill in the blanks? The answers would be 4; 5; and 7 respectively. That’s the only combination that would work. If you don’t like that solution or try to insert some other values, the equation just won’t add up.

The same is true with any part of the Bible, including the SOS. The answer is always Jesus. Any other answer and the “equation” won’t add up.

What happens to the Song of Solomon if you plug in Jesus and His relation to His Bride, the church? It becomes, not a discourse on boy/girl relationships, and far more than an earthly love story, but a revelation of the way Christ loves His church.

I can hear the theologians from all over the globe gasping in disgust as they read this re-hash of an old idea. That’s OK. They’ve been wrong before, and they’re wrong about SOS.

Do it like this and see what happens. Let “She” equal the church, let “He” equal Christ and let “Friends” equal the heavenly hosts. When you do that, the book becomes much more than an ancient love song. It becomes much more than a portrayal of God’s perspective on the romantic and sexual love between a man and woman. It springs to life like no other love story in all of history!

As Solomon saw his bride as beautiful, so Christ sees His Bride (the church) as beautiful. As Solomon sees his bride as irresistible, so Christ sees His Bride as irresistible. As Solomon saw his bride as worthy of his love, so Christ sees His Bride as worthy of His love because of his grace. As Solomon compares his bride with the beauty of womanhood, the unbridled power of Pharaoh’s horses, the rarity of precious gems, the strength of cedars, the fragrance of perfumes and flowers, the grandeur of mountains and the sweetness of the vineyards, so is Christ’s Bride to Him.

The response of Solomon’s bride to him is analogous to Christ’s Bride’s reaction to Him.

In my mind, the whole book of the Song of Solomon speaks of God’s love for His creation and His preparation of the Bride of Christ for the unparalleled wedding feast that is to come.

Every time I read it, I am more breathlessly awaiting that day.

Now, go read it joyfully! If you know Christ, you're His Bride and the feast will include you!

Hearing God Speak

God has spoken with authority. His revelation is complete and He does not issue a so-called “lesser” revelation. The Bible is His complete and final word to mankind. Everything you need to know about God is found in the Word of God. NOTHING you need to know about God is NOT found in the Word of God. Everything you THINK you know about God that is not in the Word of God, you just made up.

The Bible is composed of 66 books written by 40 authors of various ages, most of whom did not know each other. It represents the finality of God’s revelation. There is nothing more that needs to be revealed or ever will be revealed about God’s character, His love of His creation or His plan for its redemption in Christ. Yet for some it is not enough. They seek a deeper, more meaningful existential experience.

There are those who have claimed to have “heard from God” about one thing or another. Some of God’s “revelations” have been so great as to have spawned whole faith systems. Some of them have resulted in denominations that teach heresies. Some of His supposed revelations have dealt more with the present in the form of “messages” to the people through a preacher or wise man. It’s the “I had this message planned, last night God told me to change it” type of thing. Does that mean that the preacher was planning a message that was not from God, or did God change His mind?

Actually, it means that the preacher planned one message, had an idea about something else that he thought was better or different and decided to present it, instead of his original sermon. Either message that was in accordance with sound Biblical doctrine would have been fine, but preachers like to try to convince people that they are more sensitive to God’s direction than others.

Even conservative evangelicals fall into the “God’s revelation” trap. Some have claimed to have heard God’s voice. Skepticism would be appropriate right here.

One popular speaker and teacher, Beth Moore, has written about her special revelations from the voice of God. In her book, “The Beloved Disciple,” she has claimed: “Recently God spoke to me about capturing what He and I are calling "Sabbath moments." God spoke to my heart… ‘My child, in between more intense rests, I want to teach you to take Sabbath moments.’… ‘Just that morning God confirmed His desire for me to drive all the way to the other side of Houston to the medical center to visit a patient with brain cancer.’”

Beth Moore has also claimed to have had God-given dreams. She claims to hear from God “so clearly” that there can be no mistake. And sadly, people follow her in droves, dispite her heresy.

For the sake of discussion, let’s suppose that God speaks to people in that manner. If God spoke for a leader to lead in a specific direction, is there any chance that God would lead the leader wrongly or change His mind about it?

Isn’t it sad that leaders think that adding the words, “God told me” or “God said to me” adds to their credibility or success rate? To a discerning Christian, such claims should be met with disdain. God has told us everything He needs us to know in His Word. There is no further revelation needed, neither spectacular nor mundane.

Maybe when we have done everything His Word has already told us, He will consider sending us further revelation.

But I doubt it.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Amazing Grace-Chris Tomlin

A Study in John

Chapter 19

Verses 1-7 – Jesus was beaten. Pilate thought this would satisfy the crowd. The purple robe they put on Him was intended as sarcasm. Purple was expensive and usually reserved for royalty or very important leaders. The soldiers mocked Him and slapped him. The beating had not satisfied their urge to vilify Him.

Pilate found no reason to charge Jesus with any crime, but when he brought Jesus out to face the crowd, the chief priests and his cronies began shouting “Crucify!” They were not the least bit interested in Jesus’ crime against Rome. They were furious because they knew that Jesus had claimed to be God. They saw that as blasphemy, even though they knew that He fulfilled all of the Scriptures predicting the arrival of Messiah.

Verses 8-10 – Pilate was very nervous about the whole Jesus matter. When he asked Jesus where He was from, Jesus gave no reply. He knew that it would be meaningless to Pilate. Pilate became irate and tried to intimidate Jesus into responding, even threatening Him with crucifixion.

Jesus’ response reveals to us that He was in control of the entire situation. Pilate didn’t have nearly the power that he thought he did. Jesus also indicated that the chief priest was guilty of a greater sin. Many have taught that this is a reference to Judas, who betrayed Jesus, but the narrative demands that the reference is to even more recent events. That means Jesus was once again criticizing the chief priests, as He did so often.

Verses 11-16 – Pilate tried to free Jesus, but the Jewish leaders would have nothing of it. It was noon on the Passover. Don’t miss the significance of this. The Passover was the remembrance of when the blood of a lamb was painted over the doorway of Jews homes, protecting their young boys from the death angel. Here is the perfect Lamb of God about to shed His blood for our sins.

Whereas the priests should have been faithful to nobody but God, they dared to proclaim their allegiance to Caesar.

Verses 17- 27 – The Soldiers made Jesus carry His own cross to the place of the Skull, called Golgotha in Aramaic. The sign they placed over Jesus’ head on the cross was in three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. When Pilate was challenged by the priest to change it from “The King of the Jews” to “He Claimed to Be King of the Jews,” Pilate insulted the priests once more, in effect saying, “You made your bed, you lie in it.” (That’s a paraphrase).

The soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes, but His undergarment was seamless. The soldiers decided to cast lots to see who got it. This fulfilled the prophesy found in Psalm 22:18.

Jesus saw to it that His mother was taken care of. He appointed John to take her in.

Verses 28-37 – Jesus thirsted so that we would never have to thirst again. When He said, “It is finished,” everything He had come to do had been done for all eternity. The perfect Lamb had been a perfect sacrifice and our sin was prfectly atoned for.

The soldiers were accustomed to breaking the legs of those crucified in order to hasten their deaths. When they got to Jesus, He was already dead, so they stabbed Him with a sword to make sure he was dead and took Him down. This fulfilled Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12 and Psalm 34:20 as well as Zechariah 12:10.

Jesus started His life wrapped in swaddling clothes. He ended it wrapped in linen. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. After all, He was only going to need it for three days.

Learning about a Sovereign God

Make no mistake about it. God is sovereign. What does that mean?

First, it means He holds all authority, power, knowledge and presence. As the Psalmist has told us, He is inescapable. If we ascend into Heaven, He’s there. If we descend into Hell, He is there (now that’s a full discussion in-and-of itself).

Secondly, it means that He knows more than I do. He knows how to create something from nothing, I can only rearrange what is already in existence. Trust me. I’ve tried. I have said, “Let there be T-bone steak.” Nothing happened. But when God said, “Let there be light,” there was light.

Thirdly, it means that God gets to make the rules, not me. His ways are not my ways, but His ways are always right, righteous and final.

Fourthly, it means that He is the essence of fairness. When His sense of what’s fair and my sense of what’s fair conflict, He is always right and I am always wrong. Was it fair for Jesus to have to go to the cross and die for my sins? Jesus said it was for the joy of fellowship with me that lay before Him that He did it.

Fifthly, God is all powerful. The splitting of one atom released enough energy to destroy Hiroshima. Think how much power there must be in all of the atoms in the universe, trillions to the trillionth power and more. Yet God holds the universe in His right hand. He is more powerful than all of it.

Sixthly, God’s sovereignty means that He is everywhere at once. I have troubles being where I’m supposed to be at any given time. God doesn’t. He does not live in a church building or in some ethereal nowhere. God the Father lives in Heaven. He lives in the hearts of His children in the person of His Holy Spirit.

Seventhly, it means that He knows more than the cumulative knowledge of all of the men who have ever lived, all of the men who are living today and all of the men who will ever live. He knows my inmost being. He knows the things I won’t let anybody else know about me.

Eighthly, God’s sovereignty means that His Word is His bond. His living Word is Jesus. His written Word is the Bible. His Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. While there is no “magic” in the paper and ink of published Bibles, there is power in His Word. Through His Word (His son, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity), was everything made that has been made.

Ninthly, it means that He cannot as much as look upon sin. Sin is so repugnant to Him that He has declared that if we die in sin, He cannot allow us to live with Him in eternity, but must be banished to an eternal Hell. We would all be thus doomed except for Christ, who was made sin for us so that we wouldn’t have to experience it for ourselves.

Tenthly, God’s sovereignty means more than I could ever express in words. He is awesome in His completeness. He is worthy of our worship. He is worthy of our fear and deep respect. We must bow down before Him in reverence and humility. We must not treat Him frivolously. We must not reduce Him to simplicity and meaningless repetitiveness and triteness.

Make no mistake. God is sovereign.